Salicylate Free Diet

Managing Your Salicylate Intolerance WITHOUT Overwhelm

When is a salicylate free diet useful in dealing with allergies or skin problems? Do salicyates in food make my symptoms worse? Does salicylate intolerance mean that I can't eat ANY fruit? This guide will help you to simplify the process of reducing your exposure to salicylates in food and personal care products, so you can start feeling better soon!

Although it may feel overwhelming at first, dealing with a salicylate intolerance can actually help you to begin feeling better. Once you stop irritating your body and your sensitive skin, you will notice a BIG improvement!

When is a Salicylate Free Diet Helpful?

A salicylate free diet can be useful IF your doctor has diagnosed you with salicylate allergy or salicylate intolerance.

If you have chronic skin problems or other allergy symptoms, you may find that you experience fewer symptoms if you limit your exposure salicylates in your foods and personal care products.

Salicylates are found in many healthy foods, so please do NOT self diagnose yourself or eliminate ALL salicylates without first consulting with your health care practitioner.

Why a Salicylate Free Diet?

Salicylates in food are natural anti-inflammatory substances that in moderation are usually well tolerated by most people.

In today's modern world, our environment and food sources have become unbalanced. Our foods have a much higher salicylate content than even 100 years ago, due to modern farming practices.

In addition, our daily lives are now filled with salicylates in our medicines, toothpastes, shampoos, skin care products, and cosmetics.

It is no wonder that more and more people are developing saliyclate intolerance. This is a condition that is still new to medical professionals and is just now getting the attention it deserves.

A salicylate free diet is not necessary for most people, however if you have a salicylate allergy or salicylate intolerance, your doctor will prescribe a salicylate free diet at least until you can get your symptoms under control.

The symptoms of salicylate allergy are very similar to other food allergies so please do not try to diagnose yourself. You really need the assistance of a qualified medical or health care professional if you are planning to eat a salicylate free diet.

What Foods Can I Eat on a Salicylate Free Diet?

Generally raw foods and the skins and outer leaves of fruits and vegetables have higher salicylate contents. Depending on the severity of your salicylate intolerance, your diet may be very limited for a while until you get your symptoms under control.

MOST processed foods, artificial colorings, artificial flavorings and sauces contain a high salicylate content. Most people following a salicylate free diet choose to cook for themselves in order to have the healthiest and freshest foods.

Some foods with low salicylates such as soy or rice milk may have extra added ingredients which may have salicylates, so please read the labels on all foods.

Foods that are very low in salicylates include:

Fresh meats

Poultry

Fish

Eggs

Dairy products except for blue vein cheese

Tofu

Soy Products (read the labels)

Soy milk

Rice Milk

Some vegetables which have very low salicylate content are:

Bamboo Shoots

Beans-dried

Cabbage

Celery

Iceburg Lettuce (inside leaves)

Lentils

Peas

Potato

Swede

Fruits with very low salicylates include:

Bananas

Pears (peeled)

Grains which have low salicylates are:

Barley

Buckwheat

Millet

Oats

Rice

Rye

Wheat

Sweeteners, oils and other foods with low salicylates are:

Carob

Cocoa

Maple Syrup

Butter

Canola Oil

Safflower Oil

Soy Oil

Sunflower Oil

Vegetable Margarine

What Foods Should I Avoid on a Salicylate Free Diet?

Many commercial seasonings, herbs, spices, sauces, jellies and jams are very high in salicylates.

Dried fruits, berries, most fruits are high in salicylates to varying degrees.

The following fruits are have the highest salicylate content, and are generally avoided if you are eating a salicylate free diet:

Apples

Apricot

Avocado

Blackberry

Black currant

Blueberry

Boysenberry

Cantaloupe

Cherries

Cranberry

Currants

Dates

Grapefruit

Grapes

Guava

Kiwi fruit

Loganberry

Mandarin

Melons

Mulberry

Nectarine

Orange

Peach

Pineapple

Plum

Prunes

Raisins

Raspberry

Redcurrant

Strawberry

Sultana

Tangelo

Tangerine

Watermelon

Youngberry

Vegetables with high salicylates include:

Alfalfa sprouts

Artichoke

Broad bean

Broccoli

Canned green olives

Canned black olive

Capsicum

Chicory

Chili peppers

Cucumber

Eggplant

Endive

Fresh Spinach

Gherkin

Hot pepper

Okra

Peppers

Radish

Sweet Potato

Tomato

Tomato Products

Water chestnut

Watercress

Zucchini

Nuts that are highest in salicylates include:

Almond

Brazil nuts

Macadamia nuts

Peanuts with skins

Pine nuts

Pistachio

Water chestnut

Sweets that are highest in salicylates are:

Chewing gum

Fruit flavors

Honey

Honey flavors

Jam (except for homemade pear jam)

Licorice

Mint flavored cady

Peppermints

Seasonings that are highest in salicylates include:

All Spice

Aniseed

Balsamic vinegar

Basil

Bay leaf

Black pepper

Caraway

Cardamom

Cayenne

Celery powder

Chili flakes and chili powder

Cider Vinegar

Cinnamon

Cloves

Commercial Gravies & Sauces

Commercial Jam and Jelly

Coriander

Cumin

Curry

Dill

Fenugreek

Fish, meat, and tomato pastes

Garam masala

Ginger

Honey

Mace

Mint

Mixed herbs

Mustard

Nutmeg

Oregano

Paprika

Peppermint

Pimiento

Rosemary

Sage

Tabasco

Tarragon

Thyme

Turmeric

Vegemite and nutritional or brewer's yeast

White pepper

White Vinegar

Wine Vinegar

sWorcester Sauce

Salicylates in Your Medicines and Personal Care Products

If you are eating a salicylate free diet, you can increase the beneficial effect of your diet by eliminating salicilate exposure through your personal care products.

Salicylates are contained in MOST personal care products that contain fragrance or perfume.

They are also in most shampoos, conditioners, shaving creams, sunscreens, skin care products, cosmetics, toothpastes, mouthwashes, and herbal remedies.

The hardest thing about avoiding salicylates in your personal care products is that there are many ingredients which DO have salicylates but which are not called "salicylate" so you cannot tell from their name. A few examples of this are:

Aspirin

Acetylsalicylic acid

Artificial coloring and flavoring

Benzoates

Beta-hydroxy acid

Magnesium salicylate

Menthol

Mint

Salicylic acid

Salicin

Peppermint

Phenylethyl salicylate

Sodium salicylate

Spearmint

White Willow Bark

Even more overwhelming, these ingredients sometimes go by OTHER names so it is very difficult to tell whether your personal care products contain salicylates.

Here are just a FEW of the many names that "aspirin" can be called in the name or the ingredients list of a product...

2-(Acetyloxy)-Benzoic Acid

2-Acetoxybenzenecarboxylic acid

2-acetoxybenzoic acid

A.S.A.

Ac 5230

Acenterine

Acesal

Aceticyl

Acetilsalicilico acetilum acidulatum

Acetisal

Acetonyl

Acetophen

Acetosal

Acetosalic acid

Acetosalin

Acetoxybenzoic acid

Acetylin

Acetylsal

Acetylsalcylate

Acetylsalicylic acid

Acidum acetylsalicylicum

Acimetten

Acisal

Acylpyrin

Alka-seltzer

Anacin

Asagran

Asatard Ascoden-30

Ascriptin

Aspalon

Aspergum

Aspirdrops

Aspro

Asteric

Bayer

Benaspir

Bialpirinia

Bufferin

Caprin

Chlorpheninaurine; Claradin

Csedrin

Empirin

Extren

Gelprin

Globoid

Helicon

Idragin

Measurin

Neuronika

Norgesic

Novid

Nu-seals

O-Carboxyphenyl Acetate

Persistin

PolopirynaRhodine

Robaxisal

Salacetin

Salcetogen

Saletin

Salicylic acid acetate

Solprin

Solpyron

Supac

Triaminicin

Vanquish

XAXA O-acetylsalicylic acid

The good news is, you don't have to suffer and stop using cosmetics, shampoos, toothpastes, mouthwashes or skin care products. You can use salicylate free personal care products which are guaranteed to be 100% free of salicylates, and you will notice a really big difference in how you feel!

IMPORTANT NOTE: Most brands of salicylate free products STILL contain ingredients that can be potentially irritating or even allergy producing. You can learn more about this at our salicylate-free-products.html">salicylate free products page.

So far I've only found one company that provides safe salicylate free products that do not contain toxic ingredients. The only exception to this is their cosmetics line, some of which are older formulations that still contain parabens and other ingredients that I do not recommend.

As with any kind of product, please read the ingredients and do your own research on them. My free eBook Clear Any Skin Problem Naturally contains information on how to quickly and simply learn about the health effects of your product ingredients.